[IAC#RG] TARUN TEJPAL’S POLITICAL PERSECUTION THAT HAS BEEN A FINANCIAL NIGHTMARE FOR GOA’S TAXPAYERS

Courts of Law are a forum to Prosecute and never to Persecute. The Goa Government should come clean making public the total expenditure incurred so far on the Tarun Tejpal Case which has been on for almost eight years. With the trial at the Sessions Court, the case on various issues traveled to the High Court and Supreme Court several times.

It is estimated that the government must have incurred expenses of approximately ten crores on this case which is yet to see its finality. With that money, the Government could have set up a state of the art full fledged Health center at the Old Ribandar Hospital with all the possible facilities to cater to the health needs of all instead of politically and vindictively hounding one individual. It is anguishing that the state exchequer has been drained on account of the witch-hunt waged by the BJP against Tarun Tejpal. Why should the tax-payer have to bear the brunt of such a wasteful politically orchestrated plot?

Will the government enlighten us as to in how many other cases it has Suo Motu initiated criminal proceedings and  gone hammer and tongs as done in the Tarun Tejpal case by incurring such a huge mind boggling expenditure? Could we also know in which other cases the Goa Police has demonstrated such rare enthusiasm to investigate?

The financial pain faced by the tax payer on account of this case is far from over. The appeal now filed by the Government against Tarun Tejpal's acquittal will take a couple of years to be decided by the High Court and then the last round in the Supreme Court may also take long to see the last curtain drawn.

The ego of the BJP and its all-out vindictive battle to settle scores with the founder Editor in- Chief of Tehelka has been unduly burdening our cash starved State.  And when this is all over besides the financial burden incurred we would have to also account whether judicial time was judiciously spent especially in view of the huge pendency of urgent matters in Courts. Was it all a criminal waste of precious judicial time?

Maybe the law needs to be amended to prevent any such future abuse by the government in Power which is hell bent on vindictive wasteful actions at the expense of the taxpayers. May such a sordid saga never ever repeat again.

Adv. Aires Rodrigues

C/G-2, Shopping Complex

Ribandar Retreat

Ribandar – Goa – 403006

Mobile No: 9822684372

Office Tel  No: (0832) 2444012

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